Saab 900

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Saab 900
Image:Saab900cc.jpg
Manufacturer:	Saab Automobile
Production:	1979–1994 908,817 produced
Predecessor:	Saab 96 Saab 95
Successor:	Saab 900
Class:	Compact
Bodystyles:	2-door convertible 2-door coupé 3-door combi coupé 4-door sedan 5-door combi coupé
Engines:	2.0 L B201 I4 2.0 L B202 I4

See Saab 900 (NG) for the 1994–1997 Saab 900 model.

The 900, an automobile from Saab, was released in 1978 for the 1979 model year. It was based on the Saab 99 chassis, but longer, to allow for power steering and air conditioning. The drag coefficient value was 0.34. The 900 was produced in 2, 3, 4 and 5 door body versions and, from 1986 a cabriolet (convertible) model. There were single carburettor, twin carburettoer, fuel-injection and turbocharged engines, with a low or high pressure turbocharger.

1 Overview
2 History
3 Convertible
4 Engines
5 900 CD
6 900 Enduro
7 Specifications
8 Appearances in media
9 References

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Overview

The Saab 900 could be ordered with different options. One highly sought-after option was called the Aero. It incorporated (depending on the market) a body skirt, sport-suspension, 172 hp/129 kW 16-valve turbocharged engine, leather seats, and air conditioning. All these could of course be ordered independently. The Aero version was marketed as the SPG (Special Performance Group) in the US.

The 900 was slightly redesigned for 1987. The front of the car was restyled, although the metal body parts were not changed. Only the grille, headlights and bumpers were changed. Being a small car factory, Saab kept the basic undercarriage fairly unchanged until the end. Also in 1987, the 900 shared the same wheel hubs and brakes with the Saab 9000 and the hand brake only affected the rear wheels.

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History

The 1979 900 was available in three versions: The GL had the single-carb 99 hp/73.5 kW engine, the GLS had twin carburetors for 106 hp/79.5 kW, the EMS and GLE had fuel injection for 116 hp/87 kW, and the 900 Turbo produced 143 hp/107 kW. A five-speed transmission was introduced in the EMS and Turbo for 1980.

The 900 sedan was introduced in 1981 along with the phase-out of the old Saab B engine in favor of the lighter Saab H engine.

A big change for 1982 was Saab's Automatic Performance Control (APC) turbocharger computer. It employed a knock sensor, allowing the engine to use different grades of gasoline without engine damage. Another new feature that year was the introduction of central locking doors on the GLE and Turbo). Asbestos-free brakes were introduced in 1983, an industry first. A new model also appeared that year in Sweden — the GLi, which used the fuel injected engine.

1984 saw the introduction of the 16-valve DOHC B202 engine. With a turbocharger and intercooler, it could produce 172 hp/129 kW in the Turbo 16 model. The Turbo 16 Aero had a body kit allowing the car to reach 210 km/h (130 mph). A different grille and 3-spoke steering wheel appeared across all models. Image:Saab900t16sfr.jpg

The dual-carb model (and "GL" nomenclature) was gone for 1985. Now, the base 900 had the single-carb engine, while the 900i added fuel injection. Two turbocharged models were offered: The 900 Turbo had the 8-valve engine, while the T16S had the 16-valve intercooled unit. The 8-valve turbo had the intercooler the next year, while the 16-valve cars had hydraulic engine mounts. 1986 also marked the introduction of the 900 convertible in North America.

A new grille, headlights, and bumpers made the 900 look fresh for 1987, though the sheet metal was unchanged. Common parts for the 900 and 9000 were introduced for 1988 model year, including the brakes and wheel hubs. A water and oil cooled turbocharger (replacing the older oil-cooled unit) was also introduced to improve the unit's durability.

In each of the seasons 1987 and 1988, there was a special 'one-make' race series, in the UK, called the Saab Turbo Mobil Challenge, sponsored by Saab Great Britain and Mobil. It was run by the BARC.

The 8-valve engines were phased out in 1989 and 1990, with the turbo versions disappearing first. A non-turbo 16-valve engine replaced the 8-valve FI unit in the 900i (900S in North America) as well, while the carbureted engines were dropped. Anti-lock brakes were introduced on all models, and were standard on the turbo cars. A light-pressure turbo engine was added in 1990 as well.

A 2.1 L (2119 cc/129 in³) (B212) engine was introduced in 1991. This engine was available in the United States until the end of the original 900, but in most of Europe, this engine was replaced a year later with the earlier B202 because of tax regulations in some European countries for engines with a displacement of more than 2000 cc.

Front seats (from the 9000) were standard as from 1991 on and electronically-adjustable ones available as an option.

"Classic" 900 production ended on March 26, 1993, with a new Opel Vectra-based 900 entering production shortly afterwards. The final classic convertibles were still sold in 1994, with the Special Edition commanding top dollar in the resale market even today.

In all, 908,817 Saab 900s were built, including 48,888 convertibles.

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Convertible

Image:C900conv.jpg In the mid 1980s, the president of Saab-Scania of America, Robert J. Sinclair, suggested a convertible version to increase sales. The first prototype was built by ASC, American Sunroof Company (now American Specialty Cars).

The Trollhättan design department, headed by Björn Envall, based its version on the 3-door hatchback and the Finnish plant used the sturdier 2-door version, which also looked better and was selected for production. The initial production was not planned to be large but the orders kept coming in and a classic was born.

The new car was shown for the first time at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt in the autumn of 1983. The first prototype aroused enormous interest and in April 1984, Saab decided to put the car in production at Valmet. The production of the first 900 convertible started during the spring of 1986.

The convertible usually had a 16-valve turbocharged engine, some with intercooler, but it was also offered in certain markets with a 2.1 L naturally-aspirated engine (with fuel injection).

Influenced by General Motors (GM), in 1994 a "New Generation" (NG) 900 SE, based on the Opel Vectra chassis, was introduced. This had design echoes from the classic 900.

The cabriolet/convertible, however, was made on the 'classic' chassis for an additional year. This model is affectionately known as "The Goose", as the emblem on the back of the SE version reads "Saab 900 SE", which looks a bit like "GOOSE".

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Engines

Saab introduced a turbocharger in 1978 in its 99 Turbo with the B engine (based on the Triumph Slant-4 engine designed for Saab by Triumph). This engine was also used in early 900 Turbo models, which in export markets made Saab a household brand.

The B-engine was further designed into the H engine, which was used until 1993. The H-engine is very durable and due to a fairly standardized engine management system, it can be easily tuned to 197 hp/147 kW, and with further bolt-on modifications, to the 247 hp/184 kW range. Saab used Bosch-made mechanical K-Jetronic continuous fuel injection in the fuel injected and 8-valve turbocharged versions, and the Bosch LH 2.2 and 2.4 and Lucas Automotive electronic fuel injection systems were used in the 16-valve versions. The 2.1 L 16-valve engine used the Bosch LH 2.4.2 electronic fuel injection system.

What made a real difference to the competitors, especially in the early and mid 1980s, was the development and use of the Automatic Performance Control (APC) computer. The system enabled to use as much pressure developed by the turbocharger as possible without engine knocking. The system had a knock sensor attached to the motor block and knocking of any kind was present, the APC-system would decrease the charge pressure by opening a wastegate, a bypass to the exhaust. This enabled the use of various octane fuels and also made the use of turbocharger more safe for the engine. The 900 Aero and Carlsson had special APC controllers in red enclosures which provided more maximum boost.

At first, Saab used a Garrett Systems turbocharger (T3), which was cooled by air and engine oil. From 1988 through 1990, watercooled T3s were fitted. In 1990, Saab began using Mitsubishi TE-05 turbochargers in the SPG models only. Also watercooled, the TE-05 was slightly smaller than the Garrett T3s, which gave better spool-up. In 1991, all 900 Turbos were fitted with the TE-05.

Engines:

1979–1989 — 2.0 L (1985 cc) B201 NA, single-carb, 99 hp/73.5 kW at 5200 rpm and 163 N·m (119 ft·lbf)
1979–1984 — 2.0 L (1985 cc) B201 NA, dual-carb, 106 hp/79.5 kW at 5200 rpm and 165 N·m (121 ft·lbf)
1979–1989 — 2.0 L (1985 cc) B201 NA, FI, 116 hp/87 kW at 5500 rpm and 168 N·m (123 ft·lbf) at 3700 rpm
1979–1985 — 2.0 L (1985 cc) B201 Turbo, 143 hp/107 kW at 5000 rpm and 235 N·m (173 ft·lbf)
1986–1989 — 2.0 L (1985 cc) B201 Intercooled turbo, 138-153 hp/103-114 kW at 5000 rpm and 235 N·m (173 ft·lbf)
1984–1993 — 2.0 L (1985 cc) B202 16-valve turbo, 158-172 hp/118-129 kW at 5500 rpm and 255-273 N·m (188-201 ft·lbf)
1989–1993 — 2.0 L (1985 cc) B202 16-valve, NA, 124-128 hp/93–96 kW at 6100 rpm and 170-177 N·m (125-130 ft·lbf)
1990–1993 — 2.0 L (1985 cc) B202 16-valve light pressure turbo (LPT), 143 hp/107 kW at 5600 rpm and 202 N·m (149 ft·lbf)
–1994 — 2.0 L (1985 cc) B202 16-valve intercooled turbo (FPT) in the convertible.
1991–1993 — 2.1 L (2119 cc) B212 NA, FI, 138 hp/103 kW at 6000 rpm and 180 N·m (133 ft·lbf)

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900 CD

An even longer "Finlandia" version called the 900 CD was made at the Valmet factory in Uusikaupunki, Finland. The 900 CD was 20 cm (7.9 in) longer than standard, by adding 10 cm (3.9 in) to both front and rear doors, but only the rear leg room was larger. Optional extras for the CD were a leather interior, reading lights, rear blinds, footrests, and even an in-car telephone. There was an even longer, VIP limousine version, also by Valmet. The CD was supplied in 'automatic transmission' form only.

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900 Enduro

A special version of the 900 Turbo was assembled by Saab Australia. It was called the 900 Enduro [1] and only 12 cars were made. The package consisted of large, flared fenders, extra gauges (oil pressure, battery voltage and current drain) mounted where the radio usually was, improved suspension and big wheels and tires. To increase performance the wastegate was set at 17 psi (1.2 bar). Water injection came standard.

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Specifications

Wheelbase: 2525 mm (99.4 in)
Front track: 1420 mm (55.9 in)
Rear track: 1430 mm (56.3 in)
Ground clearance: 150 mm (5.9 in)
Length: 4739 mm (186.5 in)
Width: 1690 mm (66.5 in)
Height: 1420 mm (56.25 in)
Weight distribution: 60/40 (unloaded), 51/49 (fully loaded)

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Appearances in media

The Saab 900 Turbo was James Bond's vehicle of choice in many of the John Gardner Bond novels of the 1980s, beginning with Licence Renewed. In the second novel, For Special Services, the 900 was dubbed the "Silver Beast" [2]. The car is Bond's private vehicle that he had outfitted with various gadgets by the real-life company Communication Control Systems, Ltd. (CCS). In conjunction with the release of Licence Renewed, Saab had a real "Silver Beast" created that was virtually identical to the specifications in the book. The car is currently located at the Saab Museum in Trollhättan, Sweden.
A black Saab 900SE convertible was Jerry Seinfeld's car in the American sitcom Seinfeld, and made prominent appearances in numerous episodes.
A Silver Saab 900 AERO was Richard Priors pride and joy in the movie "MOVING"
A red Saab 900 convertible was featured in the movie Sideways (2004).
A burgundy Saab 900S sedan appears in the film Black Cadillac, in which three friends, after a wild night in a bar, find their Saab being chased by a mysterious black 1957 Cadillac Eldorado.
In 2003 movie Love Actually, Jamie (Colin Firth) drove a navy Saab 900s in France in numerous trips with his love interest (later wife) Aurélia.
For other Saab 900 appearances in movies, see Intenet Movie Cars Database (IMCDb.org).